Comprehensive Program/Unit Review at Pasadena City College

One vital practice at Pasadena City College (PCC) that contributes to the larger Integrated Planning Process is Comprehensive Program/Unit Review. Comprehensive Program Reviews are completed on a cyclical basis by all academic programs: Certificates, Associate of Arts Degrees (AA), Associate Degrees for Transfer (ADT), and Non-Credit Programs. Comprehensive Unit Reviews are completed by all Non-Instructional Units, including Academic Divisions.

Comprehensive Program/Unit Review is designed to be an in-depth look back at a program or unit and a thoughtful self-evaluation of effectiveness based on data. Reviews consist of various elements including a mission statement, brief history of the program or unit, outcomes and curriculum mapping, and an evaluation based on measuring institution-wide outcomes and producing findings and recommendations for improvement. Recommendations for improvement from program/unit reviews are incorporated into the Annual Update process for each respective program/unit. This provides the opportunity for programs/units to address recommendations for improvement during their annual planning process.

The Institutional Effectiveness Committee (IEC) is the Governance Committee charged with overseeing the comprehensive program/unit review process. When authors complete reviews, they submit them to the IEC and teams read and process the reviews using a rubric. Team leaders produce a summary and the IEC co-chairs draft a feedback letter to the authors. The IEC also compiles a list of Broad Recommendations to the College based on what they have read and processed each academic year.

The result of Comprehensive Program/Unit Review is a continuous process of college-wide improvement.